Failed Repentance
by EscapingxXxReality
Summary: Itachi battles with himself on whether or not the Uchiha clan can be saved from the consequences that pride may lead them- and whether or not they are even worth saving in the first place. Set before Uchiha massacre.


Since we now know Itachi's intentions, I wanted to go back to one of my favorite scenes in the anime and insert his own personal thoughts and feelings on the situation. Kind of introspective. But it's only my interpretation so others may think differently.

The dialogue is pretty much word for word from the anime (that was a pain in the ass… but worth it).

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto doesn't belong to me. **

"But for us it's different because you and I are flesh and blood. I'm always going to be there for you- even if it's only as an obstacle for you to overcome. Even if you _do_ hate me. It's what brothers are for."

"Is Itachi in there? We need to talk. Get out here!"

His onyx eyes narrowed at the threat blatantly displayed within the beckon. He knew he would have been confronted eventually; it simply irked him that they had to choose one of the rare moments he could talk with his little brother.

Why was it that he seemed to have less and less time? Why did everything have to include so much pressure- an abundance in tension?

Why was it that he seemed to have no peace?

_Peace. You'll never know of such a thing again if you cannot change them. _

His thoughts echoed this as he gave a small smile to the inquisitive face of the small boy who sat beside him, gracefully stood, subtly inhaled a deep breath, and went inside to meet the visitors at the front door.

His bare feet were completely silent against the hard wooden floor; he was a ghost within his own house.

They were silent when he approached; three sets of eyes focused only on him- studying him, trying to read him.

_Shallow fools. Only looking on the surface…_

"What's going on? What are you all doing here?"

It was easy to keep his voice steady, despite the fact that he had expected them to confront him anywhere else other then his own home.

Inabi didn't waste any time. Itachi found it within himself to be thankful for that- at least.

"There were two people that didn't show up at yesterday's assembly. Do you want to tell me why you weren't there?"

His voice was hard and stern, like a parent scolding a child. Like he _deserved_ an answer.

Itachi was silent for a moment, regarding the three in front of him. They had asked him a question, but their eyes showed they had already chosen the verdict.

He knew he wouldn't get anywhere by playing innocent, but the presence of Sasuke silently watching from behind the corner urged him to play along, regardless. This was his last chance; he couldn't let it slip.

He wasn't ready.

Inabi quickly continued when Itachi didn't seem fazed by the edge in his voice.

"You're in the ANBU Black Ops now. I know full well you can be called away at the drop of a hat."

_Anticipating my rebuttal. _

"And that's the case you're father was trying to make when we asked why you weren't there."

_Of course. My placement in ANBU has enabled me to become his perfect tool, after all._

"But we're not your father. You won't be getting any special treatment from _us." _Yashiro broke in.

Itachi closed his eyes in a complacent- almost submissive- manner.

"I understand. I should have been more careful. Will that be all then, gentlemen?"

He hoped his polite tone would subdue them enough for now.

"Sure thing." Yashiro's voice continued. "Oh, but you know what- before we go there's just one other thing…"

Itachi's head snapped up, his coal colored eyes widening in hope against hope that they would just turn around, and leave.

"Do you…"

_Here it comes._

"…know anything about Shisui Uchiha throwing himself in Nakano River?"

Itachi allowed his body to tense up at the mention of Shisui. He knew he had to show some response, but anything more would be overdoing it. He wasn't the type to easily display his emotions. They knew that. And they were watching him closely.

"Shisui was the other guy who never turned up at the assembly yesterday." Inabiinterjected. "It's funny. If I remember correctly you kind of looked up to him like an older brother, didn't you?"

Lowering his eyes to take on the appearance of grief, the Uchiha prodigy decided to dodge the question to save himself from thinking about the act of breaking such a strong bond- and to avoid the fact that he would more then likely have to repeat the action. There was a higher chance of that then he would have liked, according to how this was going.

"How terrible. Forgive me. I haven't seen him at all recently."

Then, as an afterthought: "What a tragedy."

There was a tense silence. His accusers could hear- no, they could _feel _the sincerity of the words.

Inabiscoffed. "Yeah." His tone was slighty sarcastic. Itachi guessed it was in an attempt to dispel any confusion his own tone may have caused in the minds of the Uchiha officers.

"Well, at this point the police force sees no other choice then to launch an all-out investigation into the matter."

"Investigation?" Itachi said, more quickly then he would have liked.

His eyes traced Yashiro's movements as he fished into the wrappings around his waist and pulled out a folded peice of paper.

"This is a note Shisui left behind." He offered it to Itachi, who opened it and skimmed the lines quickly. He already knew what it said.

"We've already had it analyzed. There's no question: this is his handwriting."

"But if it wasn't homicide, why the investigation?"

It was innocent enough a question, but the truth was Itachi was beginning to tire of beating around the bush. He could feel it growing inside of him- the hatred he himself had sparked and kindled to burn for the clan.

"It would be no great feat for someone who possesses sharingan to copy his handwriting." Inabi went on.

They were trying to play with him- attempting to manipulate him enough to catch him in his own lies.

In the beginning, he had instigated his own hate towards the name Uchiha only to make it easier on himself when- (_no, __**if**_. He mentally stressed) the time came to carry out his duty as a Leaf shinobi.

But he found as time went on, they just made themselves _so damn easy_ to hate.

Yashiro was talking now, praising Shisui. Trying to get a rise of guilt out of him.

"He was a man who would do anything, take any mission, if it was for the good of the clan."

_Hn. That was the problem. _Itachi mused. _If this is going to be their main argument… it won't have much of an effect on me. _

"Hard to imagine a man like that throwing everything _away_, don't you think?"

It seemed **I**nabi couldn't stop throwing questions his way, trying to bait him. Itachi refused to take it.

"You shouldn't judge people by their appearance or by your own preconceptions." He warned. However, it wasn't as much for the three stooges in front of him, then for the small body that pressed itself against the wall just behind where Itachi stood, his shallow breathes betraying his anxiety and fear for what would happen to his older brother.

Itachi could only hope Sasuke would understand before it was too late.

Inabi was quiet for a second as he tried to make sense of Itachi's statement.

"We'll leave that with you for the time being. Take it to the ANBU Black Ops; put in a request for them to start sniffing around on this as well."

"Understood."

At his confirmation of the request, they began to walk away, and made it as far as the door before **I**nabi had to turn around to bait him one last time.

"By the way," He placed his hand on his hip, and looked back at Itachi over his shoulder with a knowing look. "We have our own connections inside ANBU. You try and sweep this investigation under the rug, we're going to know about it."

Obsidian eyes narrowed dangerously; his fingers clenched the fake suicide note still clasped in his right hand.

There it was. The solid accusation he knew was coming, sitting right out in the open. It was almost palpable.

"Why don't you just come out and say it?" Itachi growled. He could feel his insides burning, itching for just one more straw to be added to the camel's back.

"You believe I had a hand in this, don't you?"

"Yeah, that's right…. Little punk."

He felt Sasuke's apprehension peak at the idea that his older brother would do such a thing, but the concern for his Sasuke all but disappeared at the sight of Inabi's smug look.

"Listen Itachi!" Ah, it was Yashiro again; always having to put his two cents in. "If I find you betrayed this clan, you'll pay for your wrongs!"

The raven haired prodigy was in the air before Yashiro could even add the plural onto 'wrong'.

All three were on the ground, groaning in pain, before they had even seen him move.

"Like I said before; appearances and preconceptions aren't going to tell you anything." He stood slowly, his form still bent slightly in preparation at the chance that one may still be in good enough shape to strike back. He highly doubted it though.

"For instance: you've made the _mistake_ of thinking I'm a patient man."

God knows how hard he tried to be, though.

"The clan… the clan… You underestimate your abilities with no idea of the depth of my own. And look at you now…" He felt a small satisfied smirk quirk his lips. "…_Groveling_ in the _dirt_."

After all they thought they knew… they were so _sure_ they had him figured out- had him right where they wanted him. He couldn't believe how _good_ it felt to prove them wrong- to attack their pride directly.

"Shisui had been keeping an eye on you recently." Yashiro managed to ground out, despite the shockwaves of pain the mere act of speaking sent throughout his ribcage. "The strangeness of your behanvior… half a year into ANBU, it was impossible to overlook. What the hell are you playing at, you filthy little wretch?!"

_Oh, resorting to petty name calling now, are we?_

"Obsessed with the organization- obsessed with the clan," he corrected himself. "Obsessed with our lineage- a worthless compulsion that enslaves us and limits our capabilities, leading us to fear what you don't understand."

"Stop it Itachi!"

The aforementioned shinobi snapped his head towards the source of the disruption when he heard his name; the kunai clasped in his hand glinted in the sunlight with deadly intent.

"What on earth is the matter with you?!" It was his father, the chief of the police force- Fugaku Uchiha. "Itachi, you've been strange lately."

Itachi lowered the kunai slightly, his father's interruption reminding him that now was not the time or place. There was still hope, if he just played his cards right.

"Nothing is strange about me." His voice was monotonous, his onyx eyes blank and lifeless. "I have my own duties to fulfill. That is all."

"So what's your story?" Fugakuchallenged. "Why didn't you come last night?"

He was so sick of that question. He decided to go with a different approach, curious to see if his own father could catch it.

"To achieve the next state."

"What are you talking about?"

_How disappointing. He's as blind as the rest of them. It doesn't matter what I do or say; at this rate…_

"I've had enough. There's no hope _left_ for this pathetic clan."

A flick of the wrist, and the kunai now found itself embedded within the middle of one of the Uchiha crests painted on the wall to his right. An ominous crack ran through the symbol.

Itachi spared it a glance, finding the crack fitting for a crest that symbolized a clan's promise to protect their village- to protect _Konoha_.

_Too consumed with pride and corrupted by selfishness- they've forgotten their true purpose._

"The people of this clan are all the same. You focus on the trivial and lose sight of what's most important. Change is impossible in this fog of _ignorance_. How can we evolve when regulation is all we know?"

"Such arrogance!" Fugaku spat.

As Fugaku helped his three fallen officers stand, and they argued throwing the chief's eldest son in jail right then and there, all Itachi could think about was of how his father wasn't one to talk.

The hypocritical bastard; using his own kinsmen- his own son- to further his own personal causes.

_I should just spare myself the wait and take care of this now._

"Big brother!"

Itachi's heart stopped. That's right. Sasuke. How could he have forgotten about Sasuke?

He couldn't give up on them yet- as narrow minded and selfish as they were.

He had to endure. He had to _change_ the direction they were going in.

For his little brother's sake.

His hands and knees met hard ground, and he bowed his head so low he could smell the organic scent of the cobblestone streets.

His sudden movement earned the full attention of the men in front of him, and they ceased their arguing in bewilderment of the sudden change in behavior.

"I'm not the one who killed Shisui."

_Hn. The first time I actually answered the original question directly._

"-But I apologize for the words I have spoken. I'm truly sorry."

_Sorry if only because I may have missed my chance to change things…_

The four men were still, all silently debating whether or not Itachi's words were sincere- whether or not the lifeline of the Uchiha could be trusted any longer.

But as his father began to excuse his behavior- attributing it to the ANBU- Itachi knew.

He knew they would never see the error of their ways. They would never stop in their goal to take Konoha as their own. They would selfishly put their village and its inhabitants at risk by creating an unnecessary war caused by their own indignation and pride.

Itachi followed his father's movements as he went into the house, and he couldn't stop the reaction his sharingan had to the realization as it activated then shifted to create Mangekyou.

The entire clan was now an undeniable risk that had to be eliminated.

**((I was debating whether or not I should continue this all the way through the massacre itself, but I wasn't sure. I guess it'll be up to you guys whether or not I will, in the end. Thanks for reading!))**


End file.
